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Archive: Fire Lion
The fire lion (ignis panthera leo) is a species of fire demon found towards the south of the African continent. Etymology The common name, 'Fire Lion', was given to this species due to their very close resemblance to their non-elemental counter-parts and their general closeness with fire and heat. 'Hel-katte' (meaning 'Hell-cats' in Afrikaans) is a more locally common nick-name for this species, given to them by the locals that live in and around their Pride grounds. This nickname derives from earlier in their history, in which the nearby tribes believed their ancestors to be felines straight from the underworld--capable of weilding the flames of hell itself. This was of course all superstition, but the nick-name has kept its fearsome tone with the locals. The scientific name, 'Ignis Panthera Leo', in Latin, directly and appropriately translates to 'Fire Lion'. Description The typical adult Fire Lion's body structure (both male and female) consists of mostly muscle and fat, as their lifestyles tend to rely a lot upon brute force and violence. The male's body types are usually a bit more muscular, as they're built for fighting and competing for mates, while the female's body is more built for agility and stamina for catching prey and evading enemies. In rare instances, alpha females may potentially reach the size of the average male in the pride. An adult male Fire Lion can reach up to 7 ft. tall in height, and reach an approximate length of 13 ft. (including head and tail); adult female Fire Lions typically reach 6 ft 5 in in height, and reach approximately 11 to 12 ft in length (also including head and tail). Depending upon the male in particular (whether or not they're sick, diseased, or a runt), their approximate weight can range anywhere between 800 to 900 lbs; and depending upon the female in particular, they usually weigh into the range of 500 to 650 lbs (depending on various factors). Both genders can vary greatly, however, depending upon their position within the Pride. For example, some females in the pride take on the role of 'Alpha Female', and are generally stronger, faster, and more muscular than most other females. This is mainly due to their need to protect other females against territorial males, protect cubs against attackers, and generally be the shield between the general female populace with the rest of the Pride. (Adele actually fits into this category. If she had grown into an adult female within her Pride, she would have taken on this role due to her larger overall body structure). Fire lions typically are covered in short, brownish-red fur, with the exception for the smaller areas in which their markings have burned the hide enough so that the fur won't grow there, and also at the very tip of the tail where all fire lions balance a small burst of fire. Male fire lions will often sport a large, red mane of fire that they are capable of making larger and smaller--and possibly even extinguishing if need be. Female fire lions, in an effort to compete and prove that size doesn't matter, will often create their own swirl of fire about their necks and have little 'fireballs' that swirl about their legs. These demons, both male and female, are also very thick-skinned--a result of spending most of their time around flames and heat in general. The body also naturally produces heat and smoke, and the air is generally much warmer around this demon than usual. Adult Fire Lions typically treat their bodies as 'vessels for the heat', and as a result, their body temperatures can skyrocket to massive levels when fighting or simply trying to stay alive. As a result, they often have to vent off this heat--for most lions, their bodies will simply allow the heat to burn a path to their skin, creating holes in which the smoke can rise and vent from. A Fire Lion's fangs can reach up to 14 cm in length for males, and 12 cm in length for the females. Their jaws are capable of delivering up to 1000 lbs of pressure, and is also specially hinged to allow this demon to open its mouth a gaping 13 inches. Alongside this, their claws can reach 4 inches in length. Unlike normal lion counterparts, this demon's eyes in fact have the verticle slit for a pupil-type. This allows for focusing in on sharper details, such as a slight twitch in the grass or the tiniest movement of prey. Unfortunately, at night, this causes their eyesight to diminish a bit as rounded pupils allow for more light to filter into the eye. While their eyesight is decent during the evening, is is exceptional during the day, which works out for these demons as they are not nocturnal creatures. Behaviour Due to lack of sightings and insufficient study, not terribly much is known about the average fire lion's behaviors and interactions. From various unconfirmed sources, it can be determined that fire lions are generally very social creatures; very protective of one another, and constantly interacting within their own groups and prides. They generally avoid contact with outsiders (humans, other demons, and even other prides), unless attacked or provoked: to attack even the most seemingly lonely fire lion is an inevitable death sentence, as behind him are always several angrier fire lions. This may be partially why locals were unable to relay any further information on their behaviors, as they seem to avoid the Prides out of fear. However, while fire lions tend to avoid others in general out of habit, this may be in an attempt to protect themselves. From what few studies were ''gathered, it's clear that they value strength, power, and dominance above all else. They will frequently test and pit their own strength against one another for various reasons; whether it be for territorial reasons, mating reasons, or possibly even just for fun. A lion who cannot fight for himself, what he/she has, or his/her pride is immediately ostracized and can potentially even be booted from the pride and left to die. These behaviors, however, seem almost self-destructive in nature...even the rare sightings of these animals have become less and less frequent. Whether this is because continued seclusion or possibly something ''worse is unknown. Abilities The fire lions literally treat their bodies as a 'vessel for the flames', and as a result their abilities are mainly focused on fire and heat manipulation. Primarily speaking, these demons specialize in pyrogenesis and pyrokenisis--the ability to generator one's own fire or heat source. This ability is mainly used for combat and hunting purposes, but if provoked they will certainly unlease a rain of fire down upon whoever would dare to challenge them without mercy (earning their nickname, Hel-Katte). Like with everything else, however, these lions prefer to put on shows of brute strength with their powers -- they reign terror upon enemies with powerful, devastating waves of fire and smoke. Anyone caught in their paths often end up burnt to a crisp. A downside to this, however, is they often quickly burn them''selves'' out, and have little regard to their own health so long as a threat remains active. Aside from this, the fire lions already unconsciously manipulate the heat in the air around them--creating a pocket of heat around the body so that the demon can keep it's desired temperature. Considering most fire lions prefer something along the lines of boiling for their desired temperature, their combined temperatures often drive off settlements (which works out if only because they prefer their seclusion). Trivia *Fire lions are extremely thick-skinned. Meaning: these demons naturally have a very high threshold for pain. *While not necessarily acidic or poisonous to humans, the fire lion’s blood is naturally on the thicker side, and has been known to contain trace amounts of sulfur and other flammable materials. *At the beginning of the DAMMED program, fire lions were classified as ‘critically endangered’. Since then, and the capture of Adeleke into the program, there have been virtually no sightings of these demons – leading scientists to fear for the worst. 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